Emma Baumert admits that she felt ridiculous when she first put on the high-tech headgear. “But, because I’m such a nerd, I felt really awesome wearing it.”
The Illinois native, who is 24 years old, is a part of the USA Bobsled/Skeleton development squad. She is a licensed weightlifting coach and holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology, which she earned this year.
She currently wears a neurofeedback or EEG (electroencephalogram) device on her head. They measure the wearer’s brainwaves and are becoming increasingly popular among athletes.
The concept is that, in conjunction with meditation, the headbands can assist the user teach himself or herself to be calmer because a stressed brain emits more waves or signals as a result of increased electrical activity. As a result, their performance will improve.
But are such devices, which are typically used by doctors to check for illnesses like epilepsy and strokes, truly helpful in assisting people in reducing their stress levels?
Ms Baumert says she was curious after testing out a FocusCalm headset two years ago. “I was like ‘I want to do more study on this’ after using it,” she says.
As a result, she contacted BrainCo, a Massachusetts-based company that created the product. They invited her to work as a part-time, paid researcher for a few months in 2020, based on her relevant university studies and engagement in weightlifting and winter sports. and earlier this year as well.
Ms. Baumert is now persuaded that the device is functional. “I had to visualize and learn how to have greater control, as well as the training I needed to get into a more relaxed condition while still being able to produce a lot of explosive force.”
The headband employs an AI (artificial intelligence) software system to monitor 1,250 “data points” in a person’s EEG impulses, according to Max Newlon, president of BrainCo. It then scores them on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the calmest, using a mobile phone app.
The average person appears to be around 50 percent of the time.
“It’s a passive measure; nothing is going into your brain,” Mr. Newlon, who began working on the technology in 2015, explains. “We have people performing all kinds of tests, like spending time with their families… to learn more about themselves and figure out what makes them so focused and tranquil.”
Mr. Newlon claims that, similar to how physical exercise strengthens the body, people can learn to relax their minds and that once learned, the skill persists.
InteraXon, a Canadian company that develops EEG headbands, released the Muse in 2014.
It’s also made to make you feel calmer, which can help you meditate or sleep better.
It monitors a person’s heart rate, breathing pace, and posture in addition to measuring brainwaves. It also comes with an app that plays relaxing sounds like those found in a rainforest.
Customers are either “trying to solve an issue in their lives,” such as stress and anxiety, or “proactively attempting to better” at something, such as their performance in a given activity, according to Derek Luke, InteraXon’s CEO.
All of this sounds great, but Dr Naomi Murphy, a professional and forensic psychologist in the United Kingdom, is wary about consumer EEG equipment.
According to her, the headbands inspire people to strive towards “norms” for an average brain. “Some people may feel over or under stimulated as a result of utilizing them,” she continues, “possibly because their brains don’t exactly suit the ‘typical’ brain.”
“While some people find measurements to be beneficial or reinforcing, many others are drawn to ‘neuro-tech’ because they identify with a vulnerability, an anxiety about their performance, which data can increase.”
Meanwhile, Prof Sandra Wachter of Oxford University, a top artificial intelligence researcher, doubts that EEG gadgets geared at reducing stress should ever be required.
“One of the areas where I see very limited space for AI to improve conventional ways of practicing is mindfulness training and meditation,” she says, citing Buddhist and Hindu approaches as preferable. She claims that comparing one’s awareness to an average misses the goal, which is to “just listen to oneself.”
“Moreover, because everyone is different, there is no such thing as ‘perfect relaxation’ or ‘problematic stress levels scores.'”
Consumer EEG devices, on the other hand, are supported by Dr Steve Allder, a UK consultant neurologist, especially when they are used by athletes.
He claims that “any mental practice is likely to yield a performance edge.” “And incorporating a technology that delivers physiological feedback into the practice is likely to improve an individual’s’mind’ control, therefore ‘neuro-feedback’ instruments are beneficial.”
“For elite athletes, accessing the ‘zone’ on a consistent basis is the holy grail. This kind of training will make it more likely.”
Ms Baumert, who lives in the United States, argues that while the headbands are beneficial, players should not regard them as a “magic trick.”
“Take everything you’ve learnt and put it into practice right away,” she advises.
